Pages

Monday, December 24, 2012

What Christmas is for me

What Christmas is to me

It’s interesting to be a person of faith and watch how
actors on different sides of the playing fields of belief try to
communicate to each other. Each perspective tries to dissuade or coax
another into seeing things in a similar light. The problem is they each
use a language native to their own ‘system’ and therefore often fail to
reach any ears other than those of similar interest. Of course,
‘preaching to the choir’ is what most writing and speaking is all about
these days with very little genuine effort at crossing the political and
religious divides that affect our world. Religious folks talk about
how it’s not really religion but they see things through the lens of
tinted glasses, and they forget what it was like before they found the
substance of their faith, and subsequently how to talk to those who have
not shared that experience. Those of a more independent belief system
have a color in their own lens, often trying to chip away at religious
fervor with various stories that run counter to the history learned by
those in church; facts that seem to disprove the faith that others hold
dear. I get a chuckle when folks turn to me and rant a little about so
and so group, waiting for me to agree and share their narrow minded
accusations or muddied interpretation that some trend setting media
outlet is pushing, and I decline. Sometimes I even offer the zealot of
cynicism some bit of insight, “You do realize I am that person you speak
of, hahaha, would you like another perspective on that issue?”
Well this Christmas I decided to write something about my
faith in a casual manner, sharing my excitement for the mysticism of
Christianity and this holiday, celebrating the birth of our Lord. Oh
but haven’t I seen the addendum to Zeitgeist, the end all dis-prover of
Judeo-Christian roots? Or perhaps I neglected to listen when my college
history teacher attempted to explain the parting of the seas before
Moses as actually meaning a change of the tides! We could go back and
forth arguing this and that for a thin slice of eternity but for me
faith is an experience.
As I grow still and embrace the sublime around me I
can’t help but glimpse the reality of a world beyond this world, or
within it, a perceptible realm of things beyond mortality and flesh.
It’s nothing special really, no special gift, just a willingness to be
sensitive to things that my aging body tries to ignore in its insatiable
quest for comfort, contentment, and pleasure. Many have approached or
glimpsed that world-beyond-sight through ascetic denial of the body,
fasting and harsh living conditions. Some have used mind altering
drugs, or perfection of behavior (or at least attempting such). Some
have meditated for years and others harnessed energy that exists
naturally and cultivates within the soul for profound influence on the
world around them. Ah! Mystical you say? What’s mystical about angry
church-goers screaming against soldier deaths because of gays in
America? What’s so profound about a racist homophobic woman hollering,
red faced against the ills of modern society? You probably watch a lot
of TV first of all, but secondly distracting the masses from a different
example of religious folks is a critical step in marginalizing
Christians in America. You see, Christianity is deep in its mystery, it
is profound in its effect on the heart, and the experience is one of
peace, joy, and love, regardless of how short of those qualities I fall
in daily life!
For me, the bridge to that unseen world is always open. It
requires no plant or chemical, needs no perfection of the soul before
I’m worthy to see it. That bridge is almost silly in simplicity. In
fact, the bridge chases me when I turn away, reaches out when I am laid
low, and refuses to close even when spit and cuss and glare. The bridge
has personality and seeks me out, like a shepherd pursuing a lost lamb
at pasture.
Being the person that I am, I am one who needs some extra
support for belief of any claim. Many times I have said with my heart
and my mouth, “Creator, God, whatever, whoever you are, speak in a way
that I can understand, so that I can know you, know you exist in some
way, show me something, kindle this little seed of faith that would
otherwise die for lack of food and water”. And as if on cue a wide
variety of miracles small and large have answered my request. Just as a
monk should begin to feel and see the supernatural come into being as
an answer to their drastic step away from the ‘world’, calling on God
with sincerity, no matter how doubtful one is, yields results. And the
greater that small seed of faith becomes the more expectant one is of
the answer, and the greater the answer is! It is mystery!
There are many instances where the answer was so loud and
clear that I made a promise to share the story with others over time.
One such story was when my friend Roy and I were driving back from Boone
on HWY 221 toward Marion in his Trans-Am, “Koga” (Crow in Cherokee).
Roy and I lived in the woods together at the time and had landed some
very minor gig teaching something, survival or martial arts, at a girls
camp up near Linville. Roy, also known as Wayah (Wolf), was someone who
shared this idea that faith yielded results, the spiritual world was
accessible and tangible, and that gratitude and thankfulness were key
elements of this pursuit. Moreover, Roy loved God. Neither one of us
were any kind of squeaky clean figure, being tarnished in all number of
ways haha, but on our drive home we were consumed in a discussion of how
awesome is the spiritual and supernatural protection of our God when we
listen to the subtle presence of spirit. We recounted times when we
were snatched from a nasty fate by some intervention beyond our ordinary
senses, and we took turns reading Psalms in the bible, all the while
jamming to some gnarly heavy music in this rusted out car. A few times
the wheel jerked to the right when he’d brake, and we even examined the
steering system finding nothing. The whole trip something was a little
off in the linkage system but we couldn’t find it. After an hour or so
of twisting roads, sheer drop offs, oncoming trucks and hair raising
passes around slow moving vehicles something popped. Loud. The wheels
slammed hard to the right, skidded, and threw the car off the road –
straight into the only gravel pull off available for miles in that
area. A little shaken we got out and discovered the tie rod nut had
fallen off, was likely missing the entire ride, and the steering wheel
was completely disconnected from the wheels except for a small bit of
tension on the right side. At first we were flooded with thoughts about
how neither one of us had any money, we lived in the woods –
literally. No jobs, no friends around, it was late and on the weekend
so no shops were open. We walked a ways to and from the car hoping to
see some sign of a junkyard or parts store and almost despaired. As we
took a rest on the car hood the test of faith came, and instead of
swearing about our predicament we began to be filled with praise about
where the car landed, how it happened at a slow spot, that it didn’t
happen earlier, and how the whole thing had turned out rather wonderful
even if we didn’t see any way forward at this point. Right then I saw a
piece of metal sticking up out of the sand and felt pressured to kick
it. I dislodged a rusty old nut from the mud and had that feeling that
can’t be described – I knew it was a gift. Sure enough as I climbed up
under the car and tested the random find it was a perfect fit for the
tie rod mechanism. We found a few washers, cut a piece of rubber for a
fitting, and locked the wheel back using a piece of ‘perfect’ trash
buried under rubble from the roadside. The car cranked up and we headed
home with that intense burning energy, reflected in that amazing sunset
ahead of us, that there was more to reality than the eye sees, and that
somehow there was an echo to our spiritual quest, an answer to our
praise and our prayer.
Like that rusty old nut under the sand we are each
uniquely and wonderfully made to fulfill some creative expression of the
divine, like a snowflake, that is just what it is for a reason. When
we use our own desires or others’ expectations to craft our character
and shape we may still find usefulness in this world but we risk missing
out on what we were made for – perhaps a destiny beyond anything we are
able to imagine. Often it’s not the perfect diamond, polished and
beautiful, that the world needs anyway but a rusty old nut; discarded,
forgotten, buried on the roadside. The effect that God has on us is
similar, it’s almost like He enjoys taking what is the lesser in life
and making great things out of it. He will find us and take us just as
we are, with all of our flaws, and use us in some critical way that
shows the handiwork of our special nature.
But how does one find the map, or in my earlier
example, the bridge? People have found enough results to continue
pursuing various rituals and fads. They balance chakras and release the
breath and burn the incense and imagine the shapes and listen to the
sounds and recite the words and eat the foods and so on. Within my
faith it is simple. It’s a little odd, no doubt, and I understand from
the outside it seems bizarre. I get quite a laugh out of those
references to Christianity as a zombie religion where we worship a dead
dude and eat his blood and flesh! Haha. Offense usually stems from
insecurity. I’m a hard man to offend. If you want to find out more of
what Christmas means to us, or you’d like to see what this bridge is
that I speak of, or you can’t believe that the Creator could display
personality and have a relationship but you are interested enough to try
it’s this simple.
With your heart and mouth one simply says, “God I’d
like to know you better. I’ve had doubt in the past but I want to see
you, hear you, and know if you are real. I want a relationship with
you. Show me your personhood through your Son, Jesus Christ. Forgive
the many sins I have made, make, and will make, make me spiritually
clean through the sacrifice of your Son on the cross. I accept you
Jesus as my savior. Bring your holy spirit into my life to show me,
teach me, comfort me, and reveal to me this spiritual world. Give me
eyes to see the spiritual behind and above the physical. Accept me as
your son.”
It can be a secret at first. The bridge is not
through some special person, or a system, or a building, or a political
party. It has nothing to do with anything in this world that claims
importance. It is direct to the source. And on this day, Christmas, we
Christians celebrate the birth of this person, this individual who was
displayed as the physical manifestation of the Divine, all the qualities
and characteristics the creator would like to see in us. And how did
he behave? What did he teach? Did he condemn and scream hatefully to
others? Did he celebrate the powerful church leaders of the time? Did
he lay blame and guilt on those around him? Or did he love, and heal,
and teach, and point upward to the father in heaven? Don’t think the
behavior of many who call themselves Christian reflects the actions and
attitude of our example from whom we derive our name.
Honestly it’s hard to claim this faith when I see how
different I am from the example that Christ set, but it doesn’t mean I
can’t try. And in the end, no matter how short I fall, it’s not my
behavior and actions that gets me across the bridge anyway. He will
seek me out, that’s called grace. And my heart of thanks cries out on
this day, and my praise is for Him. And I am happy that the holiday
most widely celebrated in association with Christianity is about one
thing; giving. Give to others, be thankful, share love, allow grace,
and be a light for the world no matter what the world returns to you.
That is awesome. That is my faith. Merry Christmas to all my friends
and family!

Translate

LOTS Information

LOTS Wilderness LLC, is a premier experiential education center in western North Carolina. Summer camps give students the opportunity to track, study edible and medicinal plants, stealth, sailing, hiking, bow hunting, crafts and music in one of a kind 1 to 5 day sessions that preserve traditional knowledge of the Appalachian frontier and native Cherokee. We also offer after school classes year round in a variety of self-defense systems collectively known as Integrated Martial Arts for all ages and ability levels. Participants train in Tang Soo Do, Filipino arts, Kenpo-Jiu Jutsu, Jeet Kune Do concepts, and functional fitness among other topics.